1888 N18 Allen & Ginter "Parasol Drill" Partial Set (35/50)

Partial set of 1888 N18 Allen & Ginter “Parasol Drill” consisting of thirty-five different cards out of fifty in a complete set. Condition is Vg overall, with a few better and five lesser, when viewed from the front; however, approximately half of the cards have flaws on the reverse, such as pencil marks, small areas of paper loss, or album residue, which would cause them to grade more modestly. Issued with Allen & Ginter's Cigarettes, the set is entitled “Parasol Drill” (which for those of you who did not know, "parasol" is defined as "a little decorative sunshade," or, in more modern terms, "a small decorative umbrella designed to shield oneself from sun"). You just don't see parasols often these days, outside of an old movie here or there with a Southern backdrop (you know, with beautiful Southern belles in a fancy dresses who say things like "I do declare!"). Back in the 1880s, apparently, the idea of parasols was popular enough to warrant an entire set of cards devoted exclusively to them, and few could argue that Allen & Ginter did not do a spectacular job. The tobacco companies always seemed to come up with ideas for sets that would feature attractive women (bathing beauties, actresses, dancers, etc). This set is part of this tradition, but has the added dimension of intentional humor expressed by the captions of the cards. All cards in the “Parasol Drill” set feature a prominent "beauty" dressed in a fancy costume and accessorized with a “parasol." The card titles printed on the front represent military language and terms (eg: “attention,” “on guard,” “right face”) that are descriptive of the beauty's pose related to her parasol. The military terms represent the "drills," which instead of being executed with guns are done so with parasols. Few realize, without really giving thought, exactly what this set is all about. This is a funny set! The back of each card features a checklist of the set. An attractive partial set of this popular nonsport issue. Total: 35 cards. Reserve $200. Estimate (open).SOLD FOR $480

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